Like magpies, children's minds pick up bits and pieces of data. if you encourage them, they will drop these at your feet-Republicans and (60)Democrats, the tripartite division of the federal system, perhaps even the capital of Massachu- setts. But until the adolescent has grasped the integumental function that concepts and prin- ciples provide, the data remain fragmented, random, disordered.
21. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to
(A) clarify the kinds of understanding an ado- lescent must have in order to develop a political ideology
(B) dispute the theory that a political ideology can be acquired during adolescence
(C) explain why adolescents are generally uninterested in political arguments
(D) suggest various means of encouraging adolescents to develop personal political ideologies
(E) explain why an adolescent's political ideol- ogy usually appears more sophisticated than it actually is
22. According to the author, which of the following contributes to the development of political ideology during adolescence?
(A) Conscious recognition by the adolescent of his or her own naivete
(B) Thorough comprehension of the concept of ordination
(C) Evaluation by the adolescent of the general principles encompassing his or her specific political ideas
(D) Intuitive understanding of relationships among various components of society
(E) Rejection of abstract reasoning in favor of involvement with pragmatic situations
23. The author uses the term "common ground of understanding" (line 27) to refer to
(A) familiar legislation regarding political activity
(B) the experiences that all adolescents share
(C) a society's general sense of its own political activity
(D) a society's willingness to resolve political tensions
(E) the assumption that the state controls social institutions
24. The passage suggests that, during early adoles- cence, a child would find which of the following most difficult to understand?
(A) A book chronicling the ways in which the presidential inauguration ceremony has changed over the years
(B) An essay in which an incident in British history is used to explain the system of monarchic succession
(C) A summary of the respective responsi- bilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government
(D) A debate in which the participants argue, respectively, that the federal government should or should not support private schools
(E) An article detailing the specific religious groups that founded American colonies and the guiding principles of each one
25. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about schools?
(A) They should present political information according to carefully planned, schematic arrangements.
(B) They themselves constitute part of a general sociopolitical system that adolescents are learning to understand.
(C) If they were to introduce political subject matter in the primary grades, students would understand current political realities a an earlier age.
(D) They are ineffectual to the degree that they disregard adolescents political naivete.
(E) Because they are subsidiary to government, their contribution to the political under- standing of adolescents must be limited.
26. Which of the following best summarizes the author's evaluation of the accumulation of political knowledge by adolescents?
(A) It is unquestionably necessary, but its significance can easily be overestimated.
(B) It is important, but not as important as is the ability to appear knowledgeable.
(C) It delays the necessity of considering underlying principles.
(D) It is primarily relevant to an understanding of limited, local concerns, such as country politics.
(E) It is primarily dependent on information gleaned from high school courses such as civics.
27.